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Wild night in Big Pine ends in arrests |
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
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By Darcy Ellis
Editor 7-12-2008
California Highway Patrol officers got more than they perhaps bargained for earlier this week when responding to a stolen-vehicle report in the Big Pine area.
Confronted by not one but two allegedly combative subjects – including the man who called to report his car stolen by someone he said assaulted him earlier in the evening – officers found themselves discharging their Conductive Energy Weapons (Tasers) twice and even physically taking one of the subjects to the ground.
When the fracas finally came to an end Monday evening, Big Pine residents Robert Gutierrez, 34, and Katheryn Brand, 48, were behind bars on carjacking and auto theft charges and 37-year-old Daniel Linkletter, the alleged victim, had been cited and released for public intoxication. That was after Linkletter was tasered when he allegedly tried to charge two separate officers and ignored their warnings to stop.
According to the CHP, the series of events kicked off about 5:59 p.m., when Linkletter notified the Bishop dispatch that his vehicle had been stolen “and he was following the vehicle around the Big Pine area.”
Officer Mark Aukee responded from the Poverty Hills area and Officer Scott Johnson and Acting Sergeant Sarah Treharne responded from the Bishop area, while Linkletter stayed on the phone with dispatch advising them of the stolen vehicle’s current location. He also told dispatch he believed the driver was Gutierrez, who he said assaulted him earlier.
It was Aukee who located the stolen vehicle traveling southbound on a dirt road north of Glacier Lodge Road being driven, according to the CHP, by Gutierrez. Aukee got behind the vehicle to initiate a felony stop and Gutierrez “abruptly stopped the vehicle,” the CHP said.
At some point shortly thereafter, Linkletter arrived on scene and got out of his car. According to the CHP, he began “yelling and charged toward Officer Aukee.”
Aukee, who was sandwiched between Linkletter and Gutierrez, ordered Linkletter to get back into his vehicle, but the man continued to advance, the CHP said, which prompted the officer to pull his Conductive Energy Weapon and repeat the order for Linkletter to return to his car.
When Linkletter ignored the second warning and continued coming at the officer, Aukee fired the Taser and missed, as Linkletter was 30 feet away at that point, according to the CHP.
Witnessing the altercation was Officer Johnson who had just arrived on scene. Linkletter allegedly continued to advance on Aukee, so Johnson approached the man and drew his own Conductive Energy Weapon, telling him he would be tasered if he did not stop.
At that point, according to the CHP, Linkletter turned to Johnson, “yelled angrily and charged toward him.”
This time, the taser – discharged by Johnson – hit its mark. Struck by both probes, Linkletter fell to the ground and after one cycle of the Conductive Energy Weapon’s charge, “sat up and placed both hands behind his back,” the CHP said. He was then taken into custody.
With Linkletter subdued, Aukee and Treharne, who by then had also arrived on scene, completed the felony stop on Gutierrez and took the driver and his passenger, Brand, into custody.
But Gutierrez, according to the CHP, was not going to make it easy.
As Treharne was placing Gutierrez in the patrol vehicle, he “became combative.” In response, Treharne “applied a control hold on the subject and took him to the ground.” He was then taken into custody without further incident.
Since it was determined that all parties “were extremely intoxicated,” they were taken to Northern Inyo Hospital for medical clearance prior to their booking, the CHP said.
A doctor removed the two Taser probes from Linkletter’s left chest and hip and photos were taken of the puncture wounds. He was cited for alleged public intoxication and released to a responsible party at the hospital.
Gutierrez and Brand were arrested on multiple felony charges and booked at Inyo County Jail in Independence on bail of $250,000 each.
Gutierrez was charged with carjacking, auto theft, grand theft, driving while under the influence, resisting arrest with force causing injury and probation violation.
Brand was charged with carjacking, auto theft, grand theft and public intoxication.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 August 2008 )
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